A seventh man, Nathan Smith, 21, of Kingsway, Huyton, Liverpool, failed to appear at the court and a warrant was issued for his arrest.

Det Con Mike Russell, of the North West Counter Terrorism Unit, said: "Not only did these men descend on the victims, but they carried out the attack in front of members of the public.

"They knew that there was a Unite Against Fascism benefit event taking place in the city centre that night and they specifically targeted their victims following various disputes between the two opposing groups."